Improvement in plaiting- fabrics



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WlLLIAM @time FUZZARD, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

Lette/rs 19o/tent No. 85,922, dated .Taima/ny 19, 1869 IMPROVEMENT IN PLAITING- FABRICS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may conce/m:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FUZZARD, of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have vinvented an Improvement in Plaiting Fabrics; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in vconnection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specication, is a description of my invention, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art' to practise it. p

-The invention relates to a method of plaiting or forming into folds, paper, linen, and other iibrous material or fabrics.

United States Letters Patent, No. 64,092, were granted to me, April 23, 1867, on an` improved carpet-lining, consisting of paper, pasteboard, or a sized textile, or other suitable fabric, bent, corrugated, or folded, in such a manner'as to give it elasticity, or a spring-,like action; and my present invention has particular reference to a method of folding or plaitiug Y paper for such carpet-lining, though it is applicable to plaiting fabrics for other purposes.

My invention consists in combining two converging sexies of folders, which, at their wide end, correspond to the width of the sheet to be plaited, and are so disposed, one set higher than the other, as to receive the lpaper freely between them, while from this end they converge toward each other, terminating in two series of fingers, having thin, flat blades or ends, arranged, one series above the other, and overlapping, the upper fingers projecting from the lower folders, and the lower series from the upper folders, a'nd their thin ends lying closely together, or in nearly a horizontal plane, with just space enough between the adjacent fingers, and between the upper and under ones, to allow the material to pass around them, each finger-end being of a width corresponding to the width of the plait, and the series of them to the whole width of the plaited piece.

' Just in front of these lingers are draw-rolls, and the length of the folders and ngers is such that the fabric to be plaited, being drawn through the folders and iingers bythe rolls, may be evenly and uniformly plaited by a continuous movement through the machine, the rolls condensing or iiattening the plaits as they pass through them.

'The drawings represent a machine embodying my invention.

A shows a plan. v

B is a rear-end elevation.

C is a side elevation.

D shows an end View of the plaiting-fingersl E is a central veitical section.

a denotes a frame or base, supporting the two series of folding and plait-forming bars and fingers.

b denotes the lower bars, fixed directly to the base c, the upper pieces j; mounted on uprights g.

bars, secured to the bottoms of cross- The folders are of equal width, and the rear ends of the lower ones are at a distance apart, equal to the width of the upper ones, each end standing above or below the space between the ends of theI other series, as seen at B, and the two seriesy being relatively arranged so as to leave a horizontal space between them, at their extreme end, for entrance of the fabric.

The width of the series, at the rear end, corresponds to the width ofthe fabric to be plaited.

From its rear to its front end, each bar, b c, narrows, and each series, likewise, narrows or converges, until, at the front ends, or on the line x x, as seen at A, the width is but one-third of the width at the rear end, the plaitng and meeting of the plaits reducing the width of the plaited fabric to one-third the width of the entering fabric, and the several bars, as they converge, also extend up or down into the spaces opposite, so that the fabric, as it progresses from the rear ends to the front ends of the bars, is gradually corrugated by being pressed up between the upper bars, and down between the lower ones, as will be readily understood, the surfaces of the bars over which the fabric passes, being rounded, to facilitate the free movement of the paper.

From the front end of each bar projectsa linger, h, the width and general surface of which, at its point of union with the bar, corresponds with the width andsurfaee of the bar, while from this point to its end, each linger gradually attens, so that .t their delivery-ends t, they present two series of thin blades, each of a Width corresponding to the width of the pl'ait to be formed upon it, each two blades side by side, and the two sets of blades lying close to each other, the ends of one set breaking joints with those of the other, leaving just room enough for the fabric to pass between and around them, the fabric being (h'awn through by the draw-rolls lo, or an equivalent mechanism.

The fabricthus drawn through the fingers, will have the general form, in section, sh'own at F.

It will be observed that the convergence of the bars is not kept up in the lingers, but that the fingers turn from such inclination, and stand at right angles to the draw-rolls. This is essential, because, if the inclination extended through the iin gers, or if the fabric were being contracted in width the rolls took hold of it, the actionof the rolls would distort the fabric, and 'stretch and tear it, whereas, by giving the folds or plaits a parallelism before leaving the lingers, the rolls do not -disturb this parallelism, but simply draw the folded plaits through.

The rear of each finger is preferably formed with a strap, to extend over the end of the bar, from which it projects,'this strap being screwed to the bar, and facilitating the application and removal of the fingers, but they may be secured to the tops or bottoms of the bars, as shown at A.

The particular form and arrangement of the bars and fingers' may, of course, be varied, in accordance with the size or form of the plaits to be made, but to make box-plaits, With their' edges abutting, as seen at F, I consider the general arrangement here shown to be the best.

For producing plaits for shirt-bosoms, this method will -be found to be valuable, as the plaits cannot fail to be regularly and evenly formed, and laid, and it enables me to manufacture my peculiar carpet-lining very rapidly, and at a very small cost, so far as relates to the plaiting. v

VInstead of the long corrugating-bars, upper and under series of 'narrow rolls may be used for corrugating the fabric, and gradually bringing it into form to be folded over the plaiting-ngers, but such arrangement is not so simple as that shown.

I claim the combination of mechanism for corrugating the fabric with the plaiting-ngers, substantialIy as described.

I also claim, in combination with the corrugatingmechanism and plaiting-ngcrs, the draw-rolls, sub stantially as described.

I also claim arranging the plaiting-ngers, substantially such as described, at light angles to the drawrolls.

Witnesses: WILLIAM FUZZARD.

f J. B. CROSBY,

FRANCIS GoULD. 

